Wayren is an Estonian company delivering a resilient communication platform that keeps mission-critical teams and assets connected in the most challenging environments. Wayren was selected for Phase 2 of the NATO DIANA programme earlier this year, benefitting from additional funding, as well as continued access to NATO test centres and tailored support from experts.
What does your company do and what is the solution you applied to DIANA with?
"Wayren is an Estonian dual-use start-up that provides solutions for resilient communications and situational awareness to support decision-making in mission-critical scenarios.
When networks fail, missions also fail. In both tactical operations and various industries, the ability to make fast, informed decisions is key to success. Infrastructure breakdown, difficult terrain, and disruptions to communication flows require a new type of solution that can handle high data loss, which is what we provide.
We combine proprietary protocols, hardware, and mission systems to keep information flowing when nothing else can."
What problem does your solution solve?
"When communications fail, units, vehicles, and sensors go blind, losing situational awareness. We make sure that doesn’t happen. Even when networks are breaking down, we keep everyone connected and integrated into a single picture so that leaders can make fast, informed decisions."
How did Wayren get started?
"Our founding team built our national Command & Control System at the Estonian Defence Forces Cyber Command to revolutionize how tactical operations are planned and executed. While fielding the system, we learned that industry-standard communication technologies cannot handle the extremely high average data loss that networks suffer under tactical conditions. We founded Wayren to solve this critical digitalization challenge and to provide products for rapidly collecting, processing, and sharing data for gaining a decisive edge."
Was your company already positioned as a dual-use company before DIANA? Why did you decide to apply to the programme?
"Yes, we were already positioned as a dual-use company before joining DIANA, even though our roots as a founding team are in defence, and there is a clear and urgent need for Estonia and NATO allies. We had already tested a solution for remote industrial operations such as mining and public safety, and we plan to further pursue those opportunities as well.
We decided to submit a proposal to the programme as we were impressed by following the growth of a fellow Estonian startup, GalTech, as they progressed through DIANA one year before us. We wanted to join the leading defence ecosystems in the world to help us deliver reliable communications for NATO."
How does your tech differ from competitors?
"We work where others don’t. Our system stays operational with more than 85% packet loss, where standard protocols fail at 35%.
We ensure a common operational picture. We do not lock you to a single communication technology, as our platform works with LTE, satellite, Bluetooth, and a range of digital radios. We use whatever is available and make sure that data flows efficiently over the network, enabling a unified picture for fast and confident decision-making.
We can be deployed in minutes. Our software-based solution is built to be deployed ad hoc, without central management. It is easy to use, as the network builds itself after you are set up using Android, Windows, or Linux."
What has been your biggest success or milestone to date since starting the DIANA programme? How did participation in DIANA’s programme help make this possible?
"The programme was instrumental in helping us develop and test our system successfully. We signed a €7.9M strategic investment deal with EFA Group with the goal of driving rapid adoption across NATO and its allies, with support from BSV Ventures, who led our prior round. The programme was instrumental in building our credibility for such a deal and provided the technical support to field our solution during the first HIMARS live-fire exercise conducted by the Estonian Defence Forces."
What is next on the horizon for your company or is there another milestone in the future you are excited about?
"We are looking forward to closing our Series A round within 2026. Before that, our focus is to boost adoption of our technology and help protect NATO allies by gaining an edge in situational awareness and decision-making."